1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to retractable seats for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to retractable seats in which the seat can be retracted when a seat cushion is brought down to the floor by means of a link mechanism.
2. Description of the Related Art
A retractable seat of this type is taught, for example, by Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-316567.
In the known art, the seat is vertically movably supported on a vehicle floor by means of front and rear links. A hinge means provided on a seat support point of the rear link has a rotation restriction function for preventing the rotation of the rear link. Due to this rotation restriction function, the seat can be maintained in a retracted condition in which the seat is retracted into a receiving recess formed in the vehicle floor and maintained in a use condition in which the seat is positioned above the receiving recess.
However, in the retractable seat that is supported by the links, the link rotation regulating function of the hinge means does not provide sufficient support strength to the seat when it is in the use condition. That is, when an excessive load is applied to the seat, for example, as in the case of a collision of the vehicle, the seat may not be sufficiently supported.